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“Jy Simpkin has stood out massively throughout the preseason, and so has Mason Wood,” Whitecross told SEN Breakfast.

“They’ve been two that have really stood out.”

Former Kangaroo Nick Dal Santo echoed those thoughts, saying Simpkin has got the “x-factor” needed to make an impact at AFL level.

Whitecross thinks North’s youthful exuberance will mask their lack of experience in 2019.

“I’ve been pretty impressed with what I’ve seen in the first six weeks working there,” he said.

“It’s a really, really good environment to be coaching in, the group is a little bit young and lacks a bit of experience, but what they lack in that department, they certainly have got the energy and the hunger to go on and have some success this year.”

North Melbourne opens their 2019 campaign in Perth against Fremantle on Sunday March 24.